75 YEARS IN SEVEN DAYS - Donald A. Bergman

75 YEARS IN SEVEN DAYS (eBook)

A TRUE TALE OF LIFE, TRAVEL, and ADVENTURE ACROSS SIX CONTINENTS

Donald A. Bergman (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
456 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-2760-3 (ISBN)

Seventy-Five Years in Seven Days chronicles the author's journey from the cattle and corn fields and of the family farm to an international school career that included eight fascinating countries on five continents. During more than forty years of living abroad, his journeys have taken him to many of the globe's iconic, remote, and distant destinations. His life story reads like a list of Hollywood movie genres including adventures, thrillers, dramas, tragedies, mysteries, crimes, and romances. His adventures and experiences include sailing the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, trekking in the Himalayas, sharing a Christmas pig feast with the Stone Age Dani Tribe in Papua, jungle hikes surrounded by lumbering prehistoric Komodo dragons, descending into Egyptian pyramids and the burial tombs of pharaohs, solo parachuting, landing on and being catapulted off aircraft carriers, learning how to use a poison dart blowpipe with Borneo's Iban Dayak headhunters, walking atop the Great Wall of China, and visiting the long neck Kayan women of Southeast Asia. He has been on safaris to Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, experienced Chile's deadly 8.8 earthquake, spent a night in the Inca ruins atop Machu Picchu, was drenched by the mist of the Zambezi River plunging over Victoria Falls, had a private conversation with President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, traversed the Australian outback, trekked across glaciers in New Zealand and the Patagonian ice field of South America, and coped with the tragic death of four students on school campuses or while participating in school activities.

Determined not to abandon the dreams and aspirations of youth, to be buried beneath decades of routine, predictability, and boredom, the author viewed life through the novel lens of each decade being represented by the single day of just one week. This unique perspective served as motivation to pursue dreams rather than letting life just "e;happen"e;, was an antidote for deferring goals and aspirations until that illusive "e;someday"e;, and a steadfast reminder of how quickly a week, and life, passes. Seventy-Five Years in Seven Days chronicles the author's journey from the cattle and corn fields and of the family farm to an international school career that included eight fascinating countries on five continents. During more than forty years of living abroad, his journeys have taken him to many of the globe's iconic, remote, and distant destinations. His life story reads like a list of Hollywood movie genres including adventures, thrillers, dramas, tragedies, mysteries, crimes, and romances. His adventures and experiences include sailing the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, trekking in the Himalayas, sharing a Christmas pig feast with the Stone Age Dani Tribe in Papua, jungle hikes surrounded by lumbering prehistoric Komodo dragons, descending into Egyptian pyramids and the burial tombs of pharaohs, solo parachuting, landing on and being catapulted off aircraft carriers, learning how to use a poison dart blowpipe with Borneo's Iban Dayak headhunters, walking atop the Great Wall of China, and visiting the long neck Kayan women of Southeast Asia. He has been on safaris to Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, experienced Chile's deadly 8.8 earthquake, spent a night in the Inca ruins atop Machu Picchu, was drenched by the mist of the Zambezi River plunging over Victoria Falls, had a private conversation with President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, traversed the Australian outback, trekked across glaciers in New Zealand and the Patagonian ice field of South America, and coped with the tragic deaths of four students on school campuses or while participating in school activities. The author encourages the pursuit of dreams and aspirations to ensure a happy, fulfilling life, and believes one's life is best measured, not by counting birthdays, but by the number of stories created from life's experiences and adventures.

Introduction

A murky, mysterious darkness engulfed me as I stepped out of the humble thatched roof hut. A dense cloak of fog obscured the other tiny huts I’d observed upon arriving at Elephant Camp the previous night. The distant rumble of a generator and the dim glow of a light bulb were the only indications that I was not alone. An eerie tingle crept up my spine as I cautiously edged into the inky darkness.

Guided by the sound of the generator and a hazy shimmer of light, I made my way to a ramshackle enclosure furnished with a half dozen rough-hewn wooden tables and chairs. Thermos bottles of hot water, tea bags, and Indian flat bread sat on a countertop along the far wall. Filling a metal cup with steaming water, a tea bag, and a spoon full of coarsely ground brown sugar, I took a seat near the door. Concerned that the fog would add to the jungle camouflage obscuring any animal sightings, I contemplated if my long journey to Nepal’s Chitwan National Park had been in vain.

A remote encampment in the forests, swamps, and meadows of Nepal’s southern lowlands, Terai Elephant Camp was where I hoped to catch a glimpse of the shy, nearly extinct, one-horned Indian-Asian rhinoceros and the elusive, secretive royal Bengal tiger.

A handful of fellow adventurers, their bleary eyes still half-closed, straggled in for breakfast. Minutes later a wiry, barefoot Nepalese guide, wearing only a tattered T-shirt and baggy shorts, informed us that it was time to begin our trek into the forest. We followed him outdoors, where the sun had begun to invade the thick fog and mist shrouded camp. The damp, cool air gave me a shiver, and I was thankful for the hand-woven wool sweater, stocking cap, and gloves I had purchased at the street market in Kathmandu.

Climbing a rickety ladder to the top of a ten-foot wooden platform several elephants, led by their mahouts, came alongside close enough that we could step from the platform into a traditional wooden chair, like those used by Maharajahs, mounted on each elephant’s back. The mahouts guided the gentle giants toward the riverbank where, in single file, they eased down the slippery bank and into the meter-and-a-half-deep water. When we emerged on the other side, we crossed a grassy meadow before being swallowed by thick forest and dense jungle. With large, spongy pads on their feet, the elephants passed silently along the trails. The early morning silence was broken only by the calling of unseen birds in the jungle canopy above our heads. As the rising sun sliced through the cloud of fog that hugged the ground, we caught glimpses of small, graceful deer called chital, munching grass sprouts on the forest floor. Their honey-brown coats were freckled with small white spots across their backs and sides.

Suddenly, our elephant abruptly stopped and stared into the jungle to our right. The mahout pointed to a clump of brush forty feet away. Through the early morning haze, a primeval-looking one-horned, armor-plated rhino stared back at us. A small calf stood motionless by her side. We sat, mesmerized, for several minutes; the only sound was the clicking of cameras. Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she and her calf turned away and vanished into the jungle. I still get tingles when I recall being in a Maharajah’s chair atop an elephant in the mist-shrouded forest of Nepal, my eyes filled with the sight of one of nature’s most unique creatures.

With a passion for learning, exploring, and adventure, I have visited more than fifty countries and traveled around the world numerous times. My travels have fulfilled a childhood dream of seeing many of the world’s most iconic historical, geographical, and cultural sights. I’ve lived on five continents and worked in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Chile, Lebanon, Egypt, and the United States. I’ve trekked Himalayan Mountain trails and walked along jungle paths next to giant Komodo dragons. I’ve climbed the winding switchbacks to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, descended into the depths of the Grand Canyon and walked atop the Great Wall of China. I have sailed under the showering mist of South America’s Iguazu Falls, and circled India’s majestic Taj Mahal. I was taught how to use a poison dart blowpipe by Dayak Tribesmen in the jungle of Borneo, and I’ve stood in the shower of the Zambezi River as it plunged over Victoria Falls. I’ve taken eight safaris to Kenya and Tanzania and participated in wildlife and community service volunteer projects in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Moreover, I’ve explored many of the great cities of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa as well as some of the world’s most remote destinations including Tasmania, Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Papua New Guinea, and Mauritius and the Seychelle Islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Along the way, I’ve met thousands of diverse and interesting people and learned about countries, cultures, and religions from around the globe. These and many other adventures are the stories of my life.

I am documenting my travels and experiences to share what I believe is the key to a long and fulfilling life. I hope it encourages readers to dream BIG and to turn their dreams, whatever they may be, into reality. In the absence of a dream and taking steps to fulfill it, life just sort of “happens.” Our dreams get sidelined by day-to-day existence until they are diluted to the point of being unrecognizable.

Pursuing one’s dreams takes courage, confidence, and perseverance to step beyond routine and one’s comfort zone. It requires taking calculated risks, venturing into the unknown, and changing direction if the current path is not leading to your desired destination. In my case, choosing to become a teacher and an administrator of international schools fulfilled a dream of traveling the world while providing a meaningful and rewarding career contributing to the education and future success of thousands of young people.

I didn’t keep written notes or a journal throughout my life. Therefore, this book is a collection of memories as far back as I can recall them. Sort of a chronological diary of my life’s adventures. I can’t validate the exact date of every event, and I acknowledge that over time, memories can dissolve into a cloudy combination of fact and fiction. I further acknowledge that memories are often revised by the blurriness of time and our minds’ tendency to rationalize, justify, and sanitize. I can, however, confirm that the events are true and accurate accounts of what has been recorded and reside, as memories, in my mind.

Although a memoir, I hope the following pages serve as a real-life example of how one can link childhood dreams and aspirations to reality and live a life that brings true happiness and fulfillment. Unlike many how-to-live-a-happier-more-fulfilling-life books, it has nothing to do with eating nuts, drinking green tea, miracle diets, wearing sunscreen, taking vitamin supplements, vegetable smoothies, meditation, or mindfulness. It's about living the life of one's dreams.

Before the age of thirty, it struck me that my life could well be half over. Longevity wasn’t necessarily a family trait, with cancer being predominant on Dad’s side of the family and heart disease on Mom’s side. Moreover, several close family members had died of natural causes in their forties and fifties. Grandfather Lee died at age 51, Grandmother Anna at 44, Uncle Jim at 48, Uncle Ralph at 45, and Cousin Lee at 34. Predicting I’d reach the statistical average age of the mid-seventies was far from a sure bet.

Most people count the number of years since birth to determine their age and speculate about how much longer they have left in this world. They ponder questions:

“Will I live to age sixty, seventy, or longer?”

“Will I live long enough to enjoy a few comfortable years of retirement?” “Will any of my life’s dreams come true?”

I had long told myself that if I lived to the age of fifty, I wanted to feel as if I had experienced a full measure of life, had achieved some of my most important goals, and that any years beyond fifty would be a bonus.

Despite the possibility of an early trip to the cemetery and assuming seventy years was a reasonable, if somewhat optimistic estimate for my personal longevity, in my mid-twenties I chose to view each decade as if it were one of the seven days of a week. Perceiving life as if it were only a single week-long became an obsession motivating me to constantly explore, discover, and embrace the unknown, to challenge procrastination, and refuse to postpone my dreams until that elusive “someday”.

My first ten years were represented by Monday, and each subsequent decade progressed through the days of a single week until Sunday when I’d reach seventy. However long I might live, I didn’t want to look back at a life filled with I could have, I should have, and I wish I had. Instead, I was determined to fill my life with I will, and I did.

Years later, this philosophy was reinforced while attending a presentation by John Coyle, a three-time TEDx speaker and award-winning author. John posited that to live a longer, more fulfilling life has more to do with the number of stories created from the experiences one accumulates than the number of years one lives. He asked questions like “Do you want to live longer?”, “How can you extend your lifetime?” and “What would you start doing now if you knew you had only one more year to live?” His definition of measuring time was not by the clock, the calendar, or age but by the number and quality of experiences...

Erscheint lt. Verlag	10.11.2023
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
ISBN-13	979-8-3509-2760-3 / 9798350927603

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